LAS VEGAS – Consumer Electronics Show Booth #6049 – January 10, 2003 – Taiwan's MET and Cirrus Logic, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRUS) announced today that they will be providing customer demonstrations of an affordable DVD+RW recording reference design at the Consumer Electronics Show this week. MET, a global distributor of DVD+RW drives and design solution kits provider for DVD+RW-based products, is featuring Cirrus's recently announced DVD+RW recorder reference platform. MET is also collaborating with Ricoh, the world’s leading supplier of DVD+RW drives, to create a reference design focused on making affordable DVD recording products available for consumers worldwide.
"The DVD+RW consumer market will enjoy strong growth in 2003 and beyond as the product price points come down," said William Song, assistant vice president of marketing for MET. "Cirrus Logic provides the chip and software technology that we need to capitalize on this great opportunity. MET will supply the drives and support necessary for our Asian customers to capitalize on this opportunity. Together we have a very strong solution."
Cirrus Logic's DVD+RW platform provides MET with a comprehensive solution that encompasses the hardware, software and manufacturing tool kit necessary to help them quickly design and manufacture affordable DVD recording products and help their customers speed product introductions into consumer retail channels.
DVD recorders and other devices that can record digital content are expected to become the fastest growing segment in digital entertainment during the next several years. Danielle Levitas and Susan Kevorkian at IDC predict unit sales could reach 19 million by 2005. These devices will allow consumers to upgrade more than 30 years of VCR technology and begin to store and view content in the digital domain. Currently, many DVD recorders are too expensive for widespread consumer adoption, but Cirrus’ reference platform is helping customers such as MET drive the production of more affordable DVD recording products.
"Gaining leadership in DVD recording is all about having a proven, affordable solution through which OEMs can quickly develop and introduce products into global retail channels," said Terry Leeder, senior vice president of Sales and Marketing for Cirrus Logic. "In our reference platform, we provide all the components our customers need to get to market faster with outstanding DVD recording products."
Customers utilizing Cirrus' reference platform can provide consumers with several advanced technology features, such as high-quality audio and video record and playback of broadcast television and other content, such as home movies. An IEEE 1394 connection enables a high-speed connection to a digital camcorder, allowing consumers to record content to DVD disc media for long-term storage and playback on the installed base of DVD players worldwide.
The DVD+RW format offers a consumer-friendly operation and is emerging as a leading standard in the DVD recording market, due in large part to its compatibility with existing DVD standards.
The showpiece of Cirrus' DVD+RW recording platform is the CS98200, which is the industry’s highest performance DVD processor. DVD recording devices featuring the CS98200 can utilize its support of a wide range of enhanced consumer features, such as DVD-Audio, MPEG-4 simple profile support and Enhanced DVD technology, which provides access to Web-based interactive content through a broadband-enabled DVD device. Cirrus’ CS92288 encoding solution provides high-quality video recording over a wide range of bitrates, enabling consumers to enjoy up to six hours of high-quality content on DVD recordable media while retaining compatibility with the installed base of DVD players. Companion Cirrus audio CODECs complete the reference platform.
Cirrus Logic, Inc.
Cirrus Logic is a premier supplier of high-performance analog and
DSP chip solutions for consumer entertainment electronics that
allow people to see, hear, connect and enjoy digital entertainment.
Building on its global market share leadership in audio integrated
circuits and its rich mixed-signal patent portfolio, the company
targets mainstream audio, video and Internet entertainment
applications in the consumer entertainment market. Cirrus Logic
operates from headquarters in Austin, Texas, with offices in
California, Colorado, Europe, Japan and Asia.
MET
A professional company in the integration of optomechatronic
technology and products, MET focuses on the development of
technology products and services in connection with multimedia
drives. Being the only total solution provider and parts and
products supplier of CD-RW/DVD+RW, MET aims to offer higher value
in Digital Media Solution. MET is based in Taipei, Taiwan, with
offices in Japan, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Safe Harbor Provision
Except for historical information contained herein, the matters
set forth in this news release, including the expected growth of
the DVD+RW consumer market and other devices that can record
digital content, are forward-looking statements that are dependent
on certain risks and uncertainties including such factors, among
others, as the ability of Cirrus' DVD+RW platform to perform as
expected and the risk factors listed in the company’s Form
10-K for the year ended March 30, 2002, and in other filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission. The foregoing information
concerning Cirrus Logic’s business outlook represents our
outlook as of the date of this news release, and Cirrus Logic
undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new developments or otherwise,
except as required by law.
Cirrus Logic is a trademark of Cirrus Logic, Inc. All other product names noted herein may be trademarks of their respective holders.
